National Firewood Workshop 2016
Highlights-April 21st, 2016-National Firewood Workshop-Keedysville, Maryland
This educational and networking workshop for the firewood industry was well attended by a wide range of attendees from eleven states and Canada was held at the Western Maryland Research and Educational Center at Keedysville, Maryland, near Hagerstown. The 2016 NWF attracted 125 firewood industry professionals for a day of discussing how a business becomes and stays profitable in the firewood business. Network among the attendees was also an important element of the workshop. The workshop consisted of both interactive classroom discussions and outdoor demonstrations on a wide variety of firewood equipment.
| Good Attendance for Classroom Discussions | Good Crowd for Outdoor Events | Great buffet food |
Sponsors
This workshop was financed by the US Forest Service’s Wood Education and Resource Center of Princeton, West Virginia. The WERC supports the hardwood forest products industry in the 35 states east of the Great Plains. The WERC website is www.na.fs.fed.us/werc. Sawmill Magazine is our media sponsor. They publish the leading trade publication for the small sawmill and firewood industry. Their website is www.sawmillmag.com.
The workshop format used two classrooms for three morning and three afternoon sessions. The lunch period of one and half hours offered equipment manufacturers and dealers the opportunity to saw and split firewood from logs cut on the WMREC site. Equipment demonstrations took place during lunch and at the end of the classroom discussions.
Educational credits for foresters, loggers and arborists were offered to those needing educational credit hours. Jon Kays of the WMREC handled the registration and awarding of educational credits.
Our speakers included many of the top professionals of the firewood industry as noted below:
| Classroom 1 | Classroom 2 |
| Changing Directions in the Firewood Industry
Harry Watt, NC State University Update on the American Firewood Producers and Distributors Association Geoff Freidman, Lost Coast, lcfp.com, www.afpda.org |
Overview of Small and Large Firewood Processors
Howard Boyden, OESCO, www.oescoinc.com |
| Firewood Marketing By the Book
Brian Madden, Madden Brothers, www.firewoodmarker.com Budgeting for a Firewood Business Jonathan Kays, University of Maryland, Cooperative Extension Service |
The ABC’s of Dry Kilns for Firewood
Niels Jorgesen, Kiln-Direct, www.kiln-direct.com |
| Forestry Side of the Firewood Industry
Brian Knox, Sustainable Resource Management, www.sustainableresourcemanagementinc.com New Cooperative Effort for Urban Wood Use Harry Watt for Damon Barron of TreeCycling, treecycleamerica.com |
Stories From Firewood Business Owners
Mike Chicico, Burnwood Clint Pinder, Firewood Manitoba, www.firewoodmanitoba.ca |
| Buffet Lunch and Outdoor Equipment Demonstrations | Buffet Lunch and Outdoor Equipment Demonstrations |
| Wood Stove Issues-Designs and Emissions
John Ackerly, Alliance for Green Heat, www.forgreenheat.org |
Changing Directions in the Firewood Industry
Harry Watt, NC State University Update on the American Firewood Producers and Distributors Association Geoff Freidman, Lost Coast, lcfp.com, www.afpda.org |
| Insects-Problems and Quarantines
Paul Chaloux, USDA APHIS, www.aphis.usda.gov |
Firewood Marketing By the Book
Brian Madden, Madden Brothers, www.thefirewoodmarketer.com |
| Overview of Small and Large Firewood Processors
Marcus Stegerwaldt, Multitek David Porterfield, Dyna, www.dyna-products.com |
Forestry Side of the Firewood Industry
Brian Knox, Sustainable Resource Management. www.sustainableresourcemanagementinc.com New Cooperative Effort for Urban Wood Use Harry Watt for Damon Barron of TreeCycling, treecycleamerica.com
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YouTube Classroom Discussions and Slide Shows With Audio
Jonathan Kays of the WMREC was able to record the audio for most of the talks at the National Firewood Workshop. He joined the audio to slideshows when available. There are eleven YouTube videos available at this link = https://www.youtube.com/user/UMdFSE/playlists.
2016 Firewood Workshop Highlights
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| Geoff Freidman of Lost Coast Forest Products/American Fiber Company discussed the importance of improving the quality of firewood nationwide to grow markets for everyone in the industry. He also discussed the current progress of the American Firewood Producers and Distributors Association. | Niels Jorgesen of Kiln-Direct discussing the design and engineering elements of dry kilns needed for firewood. | Brian Knox of Sustainable Resource Management discussing the issues forestry and firewood. |
| Harry Watt and Jon Kays-workshop hosts-Harry Watt of North Carolina State University Wood Products Extension discussed the business side of the firewood business. Jonathan Kays of the University of Maryland discussed using spreadsheets to budget. | Brian Madden of Madden Brothers explaining cutting edge marketing techniques for firewood businesses. Brian offers marketing consulting services to firewood producers through TheFirewoodMarketer.com website. | Howard Boyden of OESCO spoke on the topic of small and large processor equipment. He covered the issues of sizing processors to the business. |
| Don Alexander of Alexander Manufacturing Showing Firewood Racks that are great for add-on sales | Carl Neutzel of Carl Neutzel Services demonstrating the operation of a PTO firewood processor | David Porterfield demonstrating a Dyna firewood processor. David also spoke on processors. |
| Dan Johnson of Windy Ridge showing firewood tools and accessories | Son and father at the National Firewood Workshop | Niels Jorgesen of Kiln-Direct and Marcus Stegerwaldt of Multitek. |
| Paul Chaloux and Geoff Friedman-Paul Chaloux of the Animal Insect Plant Health Service discussed the current state of firewood insect quarantines and how producers can assist the efforts to retard the spread of damaging insects. | Marcus Stegerwaldt of Multiteck discussed the range of wood processing equipement and model features common to firewood processors. | The Wood Education and Resource Center is located in Princeton, WV. The WERC serves the wood products industry with educational and networking facilities and events. |
Important Firewood Publication
In 1980 Jeffrey Wartluft and Ralph Monahan of the US Forest Service published”Prospectus: Firewood Manufacturing and Marketing”, a publication that reviewed three sizes of firewood production operations and discussed the business parameters in terms of equipment, output and profitability. This is a well written publication that offers insights into how a firewood business can be evaluated prior to startup as well as improving an existing firewood publication. This publication is available at this link as a pdf. It is numbered NA-FR-17 in the US Forest Service publications system.
Thanks to Our Sponsors of the 2016 Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop
| The WERC website | North Carolina State University Wood Products Extension | Independent Sawmill and Woodlot Management Magazine | Western Maryland Research and Education Center |